Camp Samac
Located in north Oshawa, Camp Samac is filled with memories of scouting and guiding, and it continues to be a place for exploration and adventure.
The 150 acres, formerly known as Brookside Park, was donated to Scouts Canada in 1943 by R.S. McLaughlin of General Motors. The camp’s name is a portmanteau of Col. Sam’s name (Sam McLaughlin), in recognition of his generosity.
Prior to opening, Lady Baden-Powell travelled to Canada to plant a maple tree by the camp’s Simcoe Street entrance. Camp Samac officially opened on September 5, 1946 in a ceremony led by Lord Rowallan, the Chief Scout of the British Empire.
The original pool was added between 1951 and 1952, and at that time it was the only Olympic-sized pool between Toronto and Montreal. In 1964 the Kichie Lodge was added to the site, adding accommodations for 80 people. In 1982 it was joined by a 36 bed bunk house. The original pool was replaced during site renovations in 1993.
Today, Camp Samac hosts a number of scouting events including the annual Join In Jamboree, celebrating scouting around the world. It also hosts a number of non-scout and guiding related events, such as Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority’s annual Watershed Festival and the Oshawa Art Association’s Art Festival.
Camp Samac Memorabilia
Good afternoon,
My grandfather (Robert (Bob) Corneal and my father Clayton Alan Corneal were part of the Oshawa Scouts from 1940s to 1970s and helped build Camp Samac. I was going through some boxes and found a scout sash as well as many pictures of them while camping and building (looks like from the 60s) is there any chance you have a museum of memorabilia case that we could donate these items to?
Look forward to hearing from you
Good afternoon! We keep an archives for the Oshawa community, and items related to Camp Samac would be a wonderful addition to it. Can you please send an email to our archivist, Jennifer – her email is archivist@oshawamuseum.org